Roarpedallers

27/8/26 – Cosne sur Loire to Beffes – 49.03km (326.13km)

We had most amazing thunderstorm early in the morning and it rained pretty heavily, it was great to listen to. Thankfully when the sun rose the thunderstorm had passed and we walked out to a little bit of sunshine. 

Everyone was feeling good after our rest day and the boys were dressed in their riding gear straight away. It felt good to roll out of camp and be on our way again. For most of the morning we rode beside a very empty canal which did not look the nicest, we are all just glad it did not smell as the water certainly was quite stale. 10km in we stopped for our delicious bakery treats beside a very dry canal. On the trail again we crossed a few bridges and met up with the river Loire again which was lovely. Oliver was starting to lag a bit so we stopped in at Pouilly-sur-Loire for some lunch, it was a beautiful little town. The afternoon went by pretty uneventfully, the scenery was nice but nothing spectacular which sometimes made the ride feel a little boring. We all chatted away making the km’s pass relatively quickly. One thing we are trying to get Oliver to focus on is his positive mindset, he started to feel tired again today but when distracted he rides so well its when he tells himself he can’t do it that he lags behind. We are working on reassuring him he is doing a brilliant job and not to focus on how much riding we have to do. It’s the journey we are on not the distances we make, so to help with this we had another stop which seemed to recharge the batteries. 

When we arrived in Beffes the campsite is in an old lime mine which looks pretty cool, the lady warned the kids to not climb on any of the stone walls or buildings as they are unsafe and apparently behind the wall somewhere is a huge old shaft which has filled with water and is over 200m deep, she was very adamant the kids could not go near it. 

Once we set up the tent we went for a walk into town to get dinner supplies, getting ready to leave Arthur tripped over and snapped his jandles argh not a good time to break your ‘house’ shoes. On the way to the shops Oliver and Arthur were very eager to spend their tooth fairy money. Patrick had found 1euro on the ground so in the shop they chatted amongst themselves what they were going to get. In the end they combined their money and got some fisherman friends (because Uncle Donald gave them one and they loved them). The boys were so excited with their purchase as they got the bulk box which had 3 packets inside therefore they each got a packet each. Off they ran outside to enjoy their treat as Rhys and I tried to get inspiration for dinner and breakfast. When we finally walked outside the boys all looked devastated, the fisherman friends they had purchased were the original flavour – menthol and eucalyptus and tastes revolting to them. Hehe they were heartbroken they had wasted their tooth-fairy money. On the way home we picked some blackberries to help with the yucky taste in their mouths which helped to pick up their mood. 

We made it home just in time as while cooking dinner another huge thunderstorm hit us and it bucketed with rain, it was great to watch from the shelter of the common room area. We all enjoyed warms showers, it was nice as Patrick had a shower with me and wanted to be picked up and feel the water on his back like he did when he was a baby, he told me its one of his favourite things to do and I must admit I love it too. Another great thing we worked out tonight was our budget and we were happy to see we are currently under our daily budget. For the past week we have spent on average 94euro a day, lets hope we can keep it up for the rest of the our cycling trip. What helps is food is quite cheap here, we are cooking all meals and the camping is fantastic. Every campground so far has had sites for cycle tourists which are a lot cheaper. 

28/8/26 Beffes to Nevers – 35.08km (361.21km)

Todays riding was bit more varied than just plodding bedside a canal. I say varied but it was still pancake flat! For the most part we were following the Loire again, gaining good views over Frances ‘last wild river’. Occasionally we cut through good farmland with recently harvested crops of wheat, sunflowers and corn all evident. 

Everyone was riding g really well this morning. We had some tunes cranking and the kms were falling fast which was nice. Occasionally we would still hold our sprint points races, or climbing challenges (only when we had to get up and over a small lock) which keeps it interesting. I love hearing Patrick’s giggles behind me as we pedal hard and try to beat Oliver or mum and Arthur to an imaginary finish line. Arthur is a little chatter box to Raelene as well and it was funny to hear him ask Raelene if tomorrow is a rest day as it has been a week since our last one, hehe sometimes the days seem long other days they are short! It just shows the kids have no real concept of time at the moment. 

Over lunch we checked the map and noted that there wasn’t a campsite for another 40km after Nevers. As a result we decided we’d better cut today short and stay in Nevers. 

As it turned out this was a fantastic choice. As a town that had hosted the finish and depart of Stages of the Tour de France this year, it was beautiful and still had left over memories from a month ago when the tour rolled through. 

Our campsite looked out over the Loire river and onto Nevers itself. The prominent cathedral dominated the skyline and both raelene and I were pretty keen to go and check it out as it known for its elaborate stained glass windows. 

We quickly set up camp then walked over the huge 14 arch bridge (everything is compared to the 9 arch bridge in Sri Lanka these days) and did a little self led walking tour of Nevers. 

We started off at the old walls and garrison of the old city before walking through the main arch into the city itself. It was beautiful and the boys were awed by it. Finally, after moseying up picturesque  we made it up to the cathedral and we headed inside. 

We were not disappointed, the stained glass windows around what was called the gothic choir, were incredible. Apparently this section of the cathedral was bombed in WW2 and had been rebuilt and restored. One of the volunteers at the cathedral took a liking to the boys and explained to us that the cathedral is in two parts. Initially there was just the Romanesque western section of the cathedral. Unfortunately part of this was devastated by fire. The bishop of the time decided to rebuild the alter to look east and had it designed and build in the gothic architecture and style of the time. Outside the cathedral you could clearly see the demarcation between the two different architectural styles. Finally inside, Thes last also pointed out the various human characters that adorned the mid section of the walls. These people were apparent villagers of the area during this time period and each of them are just doing something normal. There was one statue of a man simply trying to remove so thing from his shoe. 

Finally it was time to grab stuff for dinner and head back to camp. On our way we were stopped by a group of guys on a bucks night who challenged us to a game of tennis. They set up a net and each of the boys had a hit with the groom to be. Oliver was astounded that the groom was so ‘old’ he wasn’t sure if he could get married  cause he was too old, it was quite funny. 

Once the kids had gone to bed raelene and I sat up on the terrace and overlooked the city as the sun went down. We even managed to polish off a bottle of rose, merely 8€ from the campground bar…how good. 

29/8/26 Nevers to Decize – 37.91km (399.12km)

It was so lovely walking out of our tent and looking over at Nevers, Oliver woke up thinking he could do his 100km however a few minutes later when we said we would have to get going asap he changed his mind – thank goodness. Rhys rode into town to find some baguettes while I cooked up some porridge, thinking I had done enough, which I hadn’t as it was gone 3 hungry boys demolished it. When Rhys returned we shared the left over pasta salad from last night. The morning ride went quite quickly as we followed more lovely canals. We played quite a few games of guess the animal, the games are quite fun and sometimes the animals we have to guess are very hard! For example Patricks was…. Bigger than a dog, couldn’t climb trees, didn’t have claws, had 4 legs, no fur or hair……..it was a Chameleon! Hehe so tricky!

The riding was lovely and the km’s passed by quickly, again we enjoyed our bakery treats then found a great spot for lunch. Along the way we had some music and wanting to get away from the repeating music of Oliver’s playlist we cranked out some Disney favourites which were fun. Rhys was feeling a bit flat today and I am sure the Disney music wasn’t helping hehe. Along one canal we came across a family of swans, they were very cute and came quite close to us. We spent quite a while watching them, they really are amazing birds. We rolled into camp just after 3 which was great. Rhys and Arthur went on a shopping mission for food and new jandles, while they went into town Patrick, Oliver and I went to the pool (the campground gave us free entry). 

Taco’s on the menu tonight, yum! 

30/8/26 Decize to Diou – 61.03km (460.15)

With a couple of lower km days this week, we needed to push a bit of distance today in order to keep ourselves on track for an average of around 270km a week. That would put us in prime position to reach Budapest in good time and leave us available days on our shengen visas. 

The day started off slowly, a trend we are honestly quite enjoying for this cycle tour. With no big climbs to conquer or beaches to time, we are able to take our sweet time in the morning and leave when we want to. 

We went to checkout the mini golf situation next door but found it to be closed on the su day. Not be put off we headed back to camp and had a great chat with Teegan, Rome and Rio. Oliver especially enjoyed chatting with Rio, it was lovely to hear him telling his best mate about his riding and how his favourite part of the day is getting to camp! 

Finally we got our butts I to hear and rolled out of the campground at around 1030. We began following the canals yet again and wondered if this would be the day, instead we were happy to find that we turned off the canals and onto a series of small country roads, and gosh it was a nice change! Rolling through Hawthorne hedge lined roads, seeing cows grazing on hay and silage (due to there being no grass from the heatwave) and of course riding past big old farm houses complete with huge hay sheds that smelt amazing! Fresh hay and silage smells – and the scenery -helped make  today’s ride on of our favourites. We were even happy to find some undulating terrain where we had to grab our lowest gear to get up a few hills, then enjoy zooming down the other side. It was awesome. 

We were running low on water so called I to the ibis hotel in bourbon – lancey to refill. They were happy to oblige and even let the kids use the toilet! From here we pushed on another 10km to Diou, Oliver was feeling good and reckoned he could do another 20km to Digion, which we entertained for a couple of minutes, but we decided to stay pit and find the campsite here after a lovely 61km of riding. 

When we rolled into camp we were surprised that it only cost us 11€! Perfect! We wandered down and found a spot to have a swim in the Loire river which was nice, then got back up to camp to set up the tent before a rain storm came through. The boys all pitched in and got it done minutes before it started to rain! 

Finally it was lovely that Oliver came and helped me cook dal for dinner tonight. He was very intent on learning all the steps so he can cook it by himself one night soon. 

Side note : best showers of the trip so far – spacious, good flow and hot hot water!

31/8/26 Diou to Palinges – 57.19km (517.34km)

It was a little fresh this morning but Oliver was quite eager to get going, he came for a walk with us to the brassiere to get our daily snacks. I think he had the idea of a 100km in his head. He got breakfast started then while dad took over went to pack away his sleeping bag and mat it was quite cute to watch. Arthur and Patrick on the other hand were quite ok with a slow start both taking their time to get up. 

Eventually we all got going and started riding which took us along the canals again. We passed a lot of horse farms which the boys liked. 

We are obviously fitter as the kms went very quickly and before we knew it we were at nearly at 20km. 

We passed another canal bridge at Digoin and had our yummy bakery treats, the boys had fun playing around on some art stone things that were slippery and fun to climb on. 

Eventually we got going and found an E-leclerc to get lunch and dinner supplies. While in the supermarket I started to feel a little yuck so left rhys to it with the boys. I thought I was under control but when they got out Arthur was nearly in tears and rhys looks super annoyed! They had turned into super humbuggers over prunes and chewing gum. Trying to referee the different options of what happens rhys ended up going back in to get Arthur a packet of prunes (so they alll had their own packet) and came out with a Powerade for me. I think I was quite dehydrated. After resupplying we rode a little further and found a great little apple tree to stop under and enjoy our apricots, baguettes and cheese. After lunch we found ourselves on some great country roads with small hills, they were really fun I love the feeling of riding fast down a hill which takes you up the next hill with minimal pedalling Arthur is great on the back with this as well. Oliver got his top speed for the day 51km/hr which he thought was pretty cool. We passed heaps of small cow farms, the farm houses and sheds are so cute and some must be so old, they have great character and charm. The cows all look in great condition too one herd were so fat they made us all laugh. Close to our destination a huge building towered over the trees the property was massive and had a huge brick fence which seemed to go for miles. Behind the fence was a forest which sparked the conversation about Danny the Champion of the world and phesant poaching. We learnt it was Chataeu de Digion. 

Once at camp we all got stuck into our jobs, for this trip we have given the boys jobs to help Rhys and I with setting up. Oliver helps Rhys with the tent, Patrick sets up the inside and Arthur pumps up the mattresses while I do a bit of everything. It makes such a difference and we get set up so much quicker. After setting up we all went to the pool, while I was doing some handwashing the boys ran straight to the pool by the time I arrived they were getting out as it was quite cold. They all then enjoyed telling me how they got in trouble for jumping into the pool. The rules of the pool are no jumping, no bombing, no running, no splashing! A very boring pool indeed. I enjoyed a nice quiet swim before warming back up in the sun as the kids ran back up to the tent and read their books. While Rhys and I were enjoying the sun another family with 3 boys came to the pool and after the kids jumped in the owner came back over and told them off for jumping in the pool. The mum looked at us and we all just laughed. 

Our tent was set up next to a paddock with had some cows visit, Patrick, Arthur and Oliver enjoyed patting them and even fed them apparently (this all happened while Rhys and I were at the pool still). We had a delicious dinner of rice, tuna, avo, tomatoes and beans as the sun went down. After the boys went to bed Rhys and I enjoyed a carafe of wine while playing skip-bo 

1/9/26 Palinges to Santenay – 69.67km (587.01km)

Pinch and a punch, for the first day of Autumn and Uncle Alex’s Birthday!!! It was a glorious morning and we gave Alex a call while we ate breakfast, he was at work while we were enjoying the French sunshine….Just prior to leaving the Donkey came back into the paddock beside us and the boys enjoyed a final pat. He seems pretty old and placid which the boys thought was just great.

We were lucky enough today to be riding on some quiet French country roads again. Winding through the paddocks was certainly a highlight of the day, along with spotting the cows, tractors and various crops the farmers were growing. It was however another warm day and by lunch time we were getting low on water and in need of a stop. The town we found was lovely and had also recently had the Tour de France come through, as a result there was some great TDF rider sculptures which Arthur and Patrick were all keen to get their photos next to.

At a supermarket, while buying stuff for lunch, I managed to find a bialetti coffee pot which I was pretty chuffed about. to say I was excited to make a coffee tomorrow morning is an understatement as you can tell from the photos….

We rejoined the canal paths, enjoying shaded riding for the afternoon and slowly racking up the km’s, it was turning into long one! We were keen however to get to Santenay and into the Burgundy wine region for our rest day…hoping that we could enjoy a wine or two without having to ride too far! The still afternoon made for some stunning riding next to the canals, the reflections of the houses into the water was very picturesque and it made the riding easier.

Finally we turned off the canal trail and rode into Santenay. Again, the French know how to ‘dress up’ their towns, the bridge into the town was adorned with flowers and everything was so neat, clean and tidy. Signage in France is also next level and it directed us to our campsite with ease. The kids were excited to see that there was a mini golf course along with pétanque, volleyball and a little playground! can’t wait to have a day off tomorrow!

2/9/26 – Rest day in Santenay

Gosh waking up on a rest day is lovely! No rush, time to enjoy a cup of tea and best of all we don’t have to pack up the tent. Packing the sleeping bags is one my least favourite jobs of packing away the tents. I was up first and enjoyed a cup of tea in the freshness of the morning looking over the vineyards on the hills as the sun rose, it really was beautiful. When Rhys emerged from the tent he was very excited to use his new coffee machine, the boys found it extremely interesting and couldn’t stop watching how it works. Rhys’ first sip was just lovely to watch as the joy on his face was priceless. It was a lovely morning around the campgound playing mini-gold, bocce, reading and diary writing. I had missed a few calls from Kate which I thought was little odd, replying to her we made a date to speak in the morning. Just after 1 we rode into town to Chateau de Santenay for our wine tasting, Rhys and I were very excited and had explained to the boys the importance of being quiet during the tasting, in preparation we had books and colouring in in our bag.Chateau Phillipe le Hardi was beautiful and as we walked down into the cellar our nervousness of having 3 kids with us weighed heavily as a few other couples were enjoying private tasting. The next hour could not have gone any better, Oliver, Arthur and Patrick were absolutely incredible! They sat there quietly reading or colouring in, when we tasted a new wine they would watch us and want to smell the wine, Arthur and Patrick liked the smell however Oliver did not. The wines were delicious, each and every one. We had great restraint and left empty handed, cheapest bottle was over 30euro a little expensive for our daily budget. And thinking about budget we have been so impressed with our costs, since leaving Paris we have spent on average 94euro a day. We have found the camping here a lot cheaper than we expected which has been a very welcomed surprise. 

After our great wine tasting experience we rode through the village which was beautiful as it was surrounded by wineries, we picked up supplies from the supermarket and made our way back to camp. While the boys played soccer I sat with some peace and quiet catching up on a bit of personal admin. It was my turn to cook dinner, a rarity hehe, Rhys kept me company as the boys had some quiet time in the tent watching Oliver play FIFA. Another day done, it was a wonderful rest day and as the kids said at dinner time “our last rest day was for us and this rest day was for you Mum and Dad”. As I went to bed my thoughts floated back to Kate and a horrible feeling in my stomach, I look forward to speaking to her tomorrow.